András Baka

Baka was born 11 December 1952.^[1] He obtained a degree in law from the ELTE Faculty of Law in 1978.^[2]

Baka's career began as a legal scholar at the Institute for Legal Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He next served as director general of the College of Public Administration.^[3]

From 1988 to 1990, Baka served as president of the Trade Union of Scientific and Innovation Workers [hu].^[4] From 1989 to 1990, he served as president of the Confederation of Unions of Professionals [hu].^[4]

From 1990 to 1991, Baka was an independent member of the National Assembly, elected from the Hungarian Democratic Forum's party list.^[1]

For two terms, from 1991 to 2008, Baka was the Hungarian judge of the European Court of Human Rights.^[3][5]

From 2009 to 2011, Baka served as president (chief justice) of the Supreme Court.^[6] He was appointed to the office by a vote of the National Assembly.^[3] He has been described as an independent and "somewhat old-school" lawyer.^[3]

Baka was removed from the office in 2011 by the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, three years before his term was to otherwise expire.^[7] This was managed by Orbán's political party, Fidesz, using its parliamentary supermajority to change the constitution to rename the "Supreme Court" to the "Curia". By renaming the court, Fidesz had effectively recreated the court as a new institution that parliament could then appoint a new chief justice for.^[3] In the case Baka v. Hungary, decided in 2014, the European Courts of Human Rights found that Baka's removal had been unlawful.^[8] The court held that the government's removal of Baka had violated Baka's right to fair trial and to freedom of expression.^[3] The ruling also found that Baka had been removed due to Baka's criticism of the Orbán government, and that this his removal was an act by Orbán's government that was damaging to democratic freedoms in Hungary. Orbán rejected the findings of the ruling.^[7]

On 8 August 2026, the Tisza Party nominated Baka to be elected by the National Assembly to serve as the new President of Hungary.^[8] Parliamentary members of the party selected him as their nominee from among other candidates on a shortlist in a vote held by secret ballot.^[9] This came after Prime Minister Péter Magyar's initial preferred candidate for president, Judit Polgár, declined the office citing concerns about the stress it would bring her. The National Assembly is set to vote on the appointment of a new president on 11 August.^[8] With the Tisza Party holding a supermajority in the legislature, Baka's appointment is expected to succeed without obstacle.^[7] Baka remains a political independent, not being a member of the any party.^[10]

The previous president, Tamás Sulyok, had been removed by an amendment to the constitution. Prime Minister Magyar had sought Sulyok's removal, asserting that Sulyok was a loyalist to ousted strongman former prime minister Orbán.^[11] While objecting to it, Sulyok had signed the amendment himself after its passage by the National Assembly.^[10] Three weeks prior to being tapped for the presidency himself, Baka had expressed his cautious optimism at the removal of Sulyok; telling the Canadian radio program As It Happens that he believes that successful transition away from the era of Orbán's consolidated rule requires "extraordinary measures."^[12] The same amendment that removed Sulyok also stipulates that the new president will stay in office either for a maximum of five years or until a new constitution goes into effect. Hungary's presidency is a largely ceremonial office.^[11]

On 11 August 2026, Baka was elected as the ninth president of Hungary by Tisza's parliamentary supermajority. He is scheduled to take office on 19 August.^[13]